Traction helmet



Nov. 10, 1964 A. URIBE M. 3,156,239

TRACTION HELMET Filed May 1, '1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. AN TON/0 UR/BE M.

ATTORNEY Nov. 10, 1964 A. URlBE M. 3,156,239

TRACTION HELMET Filed May 1, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 7 mmvron ANTON/0 UR/BE M.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,156,239 TRACTION HELMET Antonio Uribe M., 1131 E. Merced Ave., West Covina, Calif. Filed May 1, 1961, Ser. No. 114,586 5 Claims. (Cl. 128-75) This invention relates to a traction device capable of producing cervical extension when fitted to the head and jaw of a patient, and more particularly to a traction apparatus that can be adapted to fit a wide variety of head and jaw contours.

Heretofore most of the so-called traction halters used for the purpose of extending the cervical region have been generally in the form of a harness consisting of a combination of straplike members that are adapted to bear against the head and jaw portions of the human head, or have been in the form of a cage that surrounds the head and chin; the upper portion of the cage is left open and pull is applied through straps that are secured to the top edge of the cage.

Both harness and cage type of cervical extension devices generally produce considerable pain and discomfort, particularly if the apparatus is rigid as is frequently the case. A rigid apparatus cannot be adapted to accommodate various head shapes and sizes uniformly and as a result the traction device of such construction is only capable of making spot contact at a very few points. This means that the entire pull is transferred through these relatively small areas and the patient suffers unnecessary pain and discomfort. In the harness type of traction apparatus, the pull is transmitted through a strap or band that bears against the occipital region of the head and is connected to another strap or band that serves as a chin support. The entire pull is transmitted to a very limited area of the head and chin making the pressure exerted at the points of contact much greater than it would be if the entire occipital portion of the head and the chin portion were subjected to a uniform pull.

It is a purpose of this invention to provide a traction device for cervical extension, that can be adjusted to fit and make contact with substantially the entire occipital portion of the head and of the jaw portion and to eliminate spot contact as much as possible.

An additional purpose of this invention is to provide a cervical extension halter that can be used while the patient is in either a vertical or horizontal position.

A further purpose of this invention is to make available a cervical traction helmet that is non-rigid and can be readily adapted to fit a large range of head contours and head sizes.

Another purpose of this invention is to provide an adjustable traction helmet wherein the pull can be transmitted to the head from any desired angle and thus insure corrective extension where this may be required.

An additional purpose of the invention is to make available an adjustable cervical traction helmet that can be readily and economically manufactured, is sturdy in construction, and can accommodate a wide range of head sizes.

The traction device according to this invention comprises a casquelike helmet that surrounds the entire head and chin regions, and is provided with a suitable opening to permit passage of the patients neck. The face portion of the helmet is open leaving the eyes, nose and mouth of the patient unobstructed. The helmet is formed so that the lower frontal portion, below said face open- Patented Nov. 10, 1964;

wardly in the form of a strap. That portion of the helmet that contacts the occipital portion of the head extends forwardly to the rearward substantially vertical edge of the ear opening and then continues forwardly in the form of a strap that overlays the rearwardly extending strap from the chin support. Both sets of forwardly and rearwardly extending straps are equipped with a plurality of cooperating fastening means, for example, snap fasteners. These snap fasteners are adapted to permit any snap element on the forwardly extending strap to engage one of the cooperating snap elements secured to the corresponding rearwardly extending strap. In this manner the lower portion of ear openings can be made smaller or larger thereby permitting the helmet to conform with the occipital portion of the head and chin of the particular patient, as well as the width of the patients head.

The dome of the helmet is provided with an opening, preferably circular, to which there is secured a suitable clamping device. This clamping device comprises a con cave flange plate having a bolt extending from the convex side, and a second concave flange plate provided with a clearance hole for the bolt. Both flange plates are substantially curved to conform with the dome of the human skull, and are larger in diameter than the circular opening. The rim of the opening is reinforced and is clamped between the flange plates which are forced together by means of a bolt acting against the convex surface of the second flange plate. Pull is applied through a ring that is threaded to the end of the bolt.

The foregoing and subsequent detailed description will be more clearly understood by referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of the helmet in position on a head.

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the helmet shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the helmet of FIG. 1 showing the flange, located on the outer side of the helmet, riveted thereto.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view showing the manner in which the flanges grip the top of the helmet at any position within the limits of the opening.

FIG. 5 is a view looking at the helmet in inverted position showing the neck opening with the overlapping straps and fasteners.-

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of a helmet showing an alternative arrangement for adjusting the gap between the mandibular and occipital portions of the helmet.

FIG. 7 is a side plan view of a helmet showing an alternative arrangement from the one shown in FIG. 6 for adjusting the gap between the chin support and the occipital portion of the helmet.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 a casquelike helmet 10 that substantially surrounds the head and chin of a patient and has an opening at the bottom to permit passage of the neck. The helmet is made of suitable flexible but tough material having 'little or no stretch in tension. This material could be a plastic composition such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, a polyamide, tetrafluorethylene or the like having the proper degree of polymerization, or a suitable rubber of the proper shore hardness. v

A substantially oval shaped opening 11 is at the front of the helmet and leaves the eyes, nose and mouth of the patient unobstructed. A chin support or mandibular portion 12 is located below the lower end of opening 11 and is adapted to engage a substantial portion of the patients chin with the lower portion extending a substantial distance toward the'neck.

On either side of helmet 10 there is found a symmetrically positioned opening 13 that is substantially oval and is longer than it is Wide and is open at the bottom 14. The lower forward end portion of each ear opening 13 merges into the rearward corresponding end of mandibular or chin support 12 and is connected to a rearwardly extending straplike member 16 which is of a suitable length. These straplike members 16 form the lower forward one half of each ear opening 13 when the hehnet is in normal position. That portion of helmet 10 that fits the occipital portion 17 of the head extends forwardly and forms the lower rearward portion 18 of each ear opening 13 and is connected to a forwardly extending straplike member 19. Straplike member 19 forms the lower rearward one half of each ear aperture 13.

Both pairs of straplike members 16 and 19 are fitted with a plurality of cooperating fasteners means such as for example hook and eye combinations, or a snap fastener combination 20 and 21. One part of the snap combination on straplike member 19 can be engaged with the desired element among the plurality of elements secured to straplike member 16 thus permitting the lower portion of ear opening 13 to be either larger or smaller enabling it to snugly fit the occipital portion of the patients skull and jaw. This construction virtually eliminates random point contact and more uniformly dis tributes the pull over the entire lower portion of the skull and jaw, regardless of the size of the patients head or its contour as long as it can be introduced into the helmet. This construction makes for a minimum of pain and discomfort.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative means for adjusting the gap between the mandibular portion and occipital portions of the helmet. In this embodiment the forward end 46 on each side of the occipital portion of the helmet preferably terminates at a position that does not extend beyond the central vertical axis of each ear opening 13. Near each forward end 40 there is a slot 41 designed to: receive a correspondingly dimensioned elongated strap 42 that extends from the rearward corresponding end of mandibular portion 12 in the rearward direction. Strap 42 is fitted with a plurality of elements of a fastening combination at the mandibular end portion thereof and the end of strap 4-2 is fitted with a plurality of cooperating elements adapted to engage those elements at or near the mandibular portion of the helmet. In this embodiment strap 42 is inserted in slot 41 and then doubles back on itself and extends toward portion 12 of the helmet. The proper combination of fastening elements is selected to adjust the gap between portion 40 and 12 to fit the head of the patient.

It is to be understood that if desired the slot could be located at the end of mandibular portion 12 and the elongated strap element 42 could extend forwardly from each forward end 4%) of the occipital portion of the helmet.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 7 differs from the one illustrated in FIG. 6 in that a strap buckle 45 is substituted in place of slot 41 and may be of either the hole or sliding type as desired. Strap 46 is designed to cooperate with buckle 45 and again the strap may be furnished with holes if that type of buckle is used or it may simply slide in buckle 45 and be engaged by a suitable gripping element.

Again in this embodiment the strap can extend rearwardly from each end of mandibular portion 12 with buckle 45 secured to the corresponding end of occipital portion 17, or the arrangement can be reversed if desired.

Upper dome shaped portion 22 of helmet It) is provided with an opening 23 that is preferably circular in outline. Any other desired geometric configuration can be used for opening 23 if this should be desired. The opening could be rectangular, square, elliptical; or a polygon. Top opening 23 is preferably 2" to 2 /2" in diameter and its central vertical axis is positioned at the position where the pull will be equally distributed between the occipital region and the mandibular region of a normal skull. At times it becomes necessary to apply pull at an angle that is diflferent than the normal axis in order to compensate for misalignment. This is easily accomplished by providing a clamping device 24 that is associated with opening 23. Clamping device 24 comprises a first concave flange 25 that is preferably about twice the diameter of opening 23 and has a curvature adapted to conform with the dome of a normal head. A bolt 26 is secured to flange 25 and extends outwardly from the convex side a suflicient distance. A second flange 27 conforming in shape and size to flange 25, is provided with an axial hole 28 that is large enough to permit passage of bolt 26.

The rim of helmet 10 surrounding opening 23 is reinforced with a pair of thin metal annuli 29 and 3t), placed one on each side of helmet 1t? and riveted or otherwise secured together thereby sandwiching the helmet material between them. These annuli are of sufiicient width to insure a secure grip, generally one quarter of an inch is sufficient.

The way this clamping device is assembled to the helmet is as follows: Flange 25 is placed inside the helmet with belt 26 extending through opening 23. Flange 27 is placed on bolt 26 and rests against the outside of helmet 10. A washer 31 is preferably placed on bolt 26 and rests against flange 27 and a nut 32 is threaded on bolt 26 until it is tight against Washer 31. Tightening the bolt against washer 31 squeezes flanges 25 and 27 together and the flanges will securely grip annuli 29 and 30. The position of bolt 26 can be shifted anywhere within the limits of opening 23 as long as the nut is not tight on the bolt. When the bolt is in a position to transmit pull at the desired angle, nut 32 is tightened locking the flanges in position. Nut 32 may be a wing nut if desired.

A ring nut 33 is threaded to the end of bolt 26 and a cord or chain 34 can be secured to the ring and to a pulling device (not shown).

If desired rubber gasket 35 could be placed on bolt 26 between flange plates 25 and 27 to act as a spacer and prevent deformation of the outer flange 27.

The manner in which my novel traction device is used is as follows: Cooperating straps 16 and 19 or their equivalents as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, are left unattached and the helmet is slipped over the head of the patient. The chin support is centrally positioned on the patients chin and occipital portion 17 is placed against that portion of the patients head. When the occipital portion and mandibular portions are properly in place the proper combination of snap elements or other fastening means are placed in cooperation causing the ear opening 13 to either open or close at the bottom and thus permit the lower portion of the helmet to fit the patient. Nut 32 is tightened against washer 31 and if the position of bolt 26 is correct, pull can be applied to ring nut 33 placing the patient under correct traction, the usual pull is in the order of 15 pounds and this is seldom exceeded. If it is found that the angle of the pull is not correct, the operator has simply to release the pull, loosen nut 32, shift bolt 26 to the correct position, and retightened nut 32.

Instead of bolt 26 a stemlike projection could be substituted therefor. The stem would also be secured to the convex side of the first flange means and a coupling means would be associated with the end of said stem through which pull could be exerted. A means would also be associated with the stem capable of forcing the first and second flanges toward each other. Such a means could be for example a spring, a toggle device or a cam arrangement capable of producing such a result.

If desired the entire helmet could be provided with suitable perforations which would permit some circulation of air and would thus dissipate some of the heat that would be developed within the helmet.

The present invention provides a device that is superior to any existing device and is easily adaptable to fit a wide range of head sizes and contours.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to the illustrative examples and embodiments, it 1s to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the Invention or the spirit thereof, and it is intended therefore to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cervical traction apparatus comprising: a helmet of flexible material adapted to generally conform to the contour of a human head and having an opening at the lower portion thereof adapted to permit passage of the upper portion of the neck, said helmet having a lower rearward portion adapted to fit the occipital portion of the skull, and a lower forward portion adapted to fit the mandibular portion of the skull; an opening at the face of the helmet adapted to leave the eyes, nose and mouth unobstructed; a pair of symmetrically positioned openings, one on each side of the helmet adapted to permit passage of the ears, said openings being discontinuous at the bottom thereof; cooperating means associated with the ends of the mandibular portion of the helmet and associated with the end portions of the occipital portion of the helmet adapted to selectively engage each other to fix the gap between the respective ends of the occipital portion of the helmet and the ends of the mandibular portion of the helmet; an opening at the dome of said helmet; and adjustable means associated with said opening adapted to selectively clamp the helmet at predetermined positions and thereby vary the angle of the axis of pull transmitted to said helmet.

2. A cervical traction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the helmet is provided with a plurality of perforations adapted to permit air to reach the head and ventilate said helmet.

3. A cervical traction apparatus comprising: a helmet of flexible material adapted to generally conform to the contour of a human head and provided with an opening at the lower portion thereof to permit passage of the neck, said helmet having a lower rearward portion adapted to fit the occipital portion of the skull, and a lower forward portion adapted to fit the mandibular portion of the skull; an opening at the face of the helmet adapted to leave the eyes, nose, and mouth unobstructed; a pair of symmetrically positioned openings, one on each side of the helmet adapted to permit passage of the ears, said openings being discontinuous at the bottom thereoi; cooperating means associated with the ends of the man dibular portion of the helmet and with the end portions of the occipital portion of the helmet adapted to selec tively engage each other to determine the gap between the respective ends of the occipital portion of the helmet and the ends of the mandibular portion of the helmet; an opening at the dome of the helmet whose center is located on the longitudinal axis of the helmet that passes through the center of the lower opening in the helmet that allows passage of the wearers neck and the center at the top of the helmet, the opening at the dome of the helmet being in a plane substantially normal to said longitudinal axis; and adjustable clamping means associated with said opening in the dome of the helmet for selectively clamping the helmet, said clamping means being provided with connecting means for connecting said adjustable clamping means to a pulling force applied at the end of said connecting means, the direction of the pulling force being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the helmet when the axis of the connecting means coincides with the longitudinal axis of the helmet, the direction of the pulling force being at an angle to the longitudinal axis of thehelmet when the adjustable clamping means are permitted to grip the helmet in a position to place the axis of the connecting means at an angle to the said longitudinal axis of the helmet.

4. A cervical traction apparatus comprising: a helmet of flexible material adapted to generally conform to the contour of a human head and having an opening at the lower portion thereof, adapted to permit passage of the wearers neck, said helmet having a lower rearward portion adapted to fit the occipital portion of the skull, and a lower forward portion adapted to fit the mandibular portion of the skull; an opening at the face of the helmet adapted to leave the eyes, nose and mouth unobstructed; a pair of symmetrically positioned openings, one on each side of the helmet, adapted to permit passage of the ears, said openings being discontinuous at the bottom thereof; cooperating means associated with the ends of the mandibular portion of the helmet and associated with the end portions of the occipital portion of the helmet for selectively engaging each other to fix the gap between the respective ends of the occipital portion of the helmet and the ends of the mandibular portion of the helmet; an opening at the dome of the helmet; and adjustable means associated with said opening in the dome of the helmet adapted to selectively clamp the helmet at predetermined positions which comprises a first flange; a stem extending from one side of said flange; a second flange corresponding to said first flange in size and contour, said second flange having an orifice adapted to permit passage of said stem therethrough; means associated with said stem and adapted to force the first and second flanges together; and means associated with the end of said stem adapted to connect said stem to a pulling force.

5. A cervical traction apparatus comprising: a helmet of flexible material adapted to generally conform to the contour of a human head and having an opening at the lower portion thereof, adapted to permit passage of the wearers neck, said helmet having a lower rearward portion adapted to fit the occipital portion of the skull, and a lower forward portion adapted to fit the mandibular portion of the skull; an opening at the face of the helmet adapted to leave the eyes, nose and mouth unobstructed; a pair of symmetrically positioned openings, one on each side of the helmet, adapted to permit passage of the ears, said openings being discontinuous at the bottom thereof; cooperating means associated with the ends of the mandibular portion of the helmet and associated with the end portions of the occipital portion of the helmet adapted to selectively engage each other to fix the gap between the respective ends of the occipital portion of the helmet and the ends of the mandibular portion of the helmet; an opening at the dome of the helmet; and adjustable means associated with said opening in the dome of the helmet adapted to selectively clamp the helmet at predetermined positions which comprises a first flange; a bolt extending from one side of said first flange; a second flange corresponding in size and contour to said first flange, said second flange having an orifice adapted to permit passage of said bolt therethrough; a nut on said bolt adapted to force the first and second flanges together; and a coupling means at the end of said bolt adapted to connect said bolt and adjustable clamping means to a pulling force.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A CERVICAL TRACTION APPARATUS COMPRISING: A HELMET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL ADAPTED TO GENERALLY CONFORM TO THE CONTOUR OF A HUMAN HEAD AND HAVING AN OPENING AT THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF ADAPTED TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF THE UPPER PORTION OF THE NECK, SAID HELMET HAVING A LOWER REARWARD PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT THE OCCIPITAL PORTION OF THE SKULL, AND A LOWER FORWARD PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT THE MANDIBULAR PORTION OF THE SKULL; AN OPENING AT THE FACE OF THE HELMET ADAPTED TO LEAVE THE EYES, NOSE AND MOUTH UNOBSTRUCTED; A PAIR OF SYMMETRICALLY POSITIONED OPENINGS, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE HELMET ADAPTED TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF THE EARS, SAID OPENINGS BEING DISCONTINUOUS AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF; COOPERATING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENDS OF THE MANDIBULAR PORTION OF THE HELMET AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE END PORTIONS OF THE OCCIPITAL PORTION OF THE HELMET ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY ENGAGE EACH OTHER TO FIX THE GAP BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF THE OCCIPITAL PORTION OF THE HELMET AND THE ENDS OF THE MANDIBULAR PORTION OF THE HELMET; AN OPENING AT THE DOME OF SAID HELMET; AND ADJUSTABLE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID OPENING ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY CLAMP THE HELMET AT PREDETERMINED POSITIONS AND THEREBY VARY THE ANGLE OF THE AXIS OF PULL TRANSMITTED TO SAID HELMET. 